Responsive Classroom Awarded $600,000 Grant by NoVo Foundation

TURNERS FALLS, Mass., Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc. (NEFC), developer of the Responsive Classroom® approach to elementary education, has been awarded a three-year, $600,000 Grant for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program Providers by the NoVo Foundation.

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The NoVo Foundation believes that social and emotional learning programs, when scaled up, can play a significant role in creating a global shift from a culture of violence, domination, and exploitation to one of collaboration and partnership. The grant will enable NEFC to increase its capacity to provide ongoing Responsive Classroom professional development to educators in large U.S. school districts and to mobilize technology as a central solution for providing Responsive Classroom services and products across the nation.

"We are very grateful to receive this generous grant from NoVo which is a real vote of confidence in our work," said NEFC Executive Director Lora Hodges. "It allows us to continue scaling up our efforts in helping the nation's largest school districts create and sustain optimal learning environments for all students. This grant will help us to develop digital tools, online courses, and other resources that will help support Responsive Classroom implementation."

In granting the award to NEFC, Jennifer Buffett, president and co-chair of the NoVo Foundation, said, "NoVo Foundation is excited to partner with the Northeast Foundation for Children as part of our Second Stage Growth and Scaling Grants Program for evidence-based providers of social and emotional learning programming. They have been doing some excellent and innovative work on behalf of our children and we look forward to supporting their plans to grow Responsive Classroom in order to reach many more teachers and students in the coming years."

About Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc. and the Responsive Classroom® approach
The not-for-profit Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc. (NEFC) was established in 1981 by elementary school educators who envisioned a way of teaching that would bring together academic and social learning throughout the school day. That way of teaching, called the Responsive Classroom approach, is now being used in schools across the country. It has been recognized by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as one of the most well-designed, evidence-based social and emotional learning programs. NEFC offers Responsive Classroom on-site consulting services to schools and districts; workshops and institutes for educators in locations around the country; and numerous books, videos, and other resources for teachers and administrators.

For more information, visit www.responsiveclassroom.org.

SOURCE Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.